Sherlock 1. Chapter 1

_Thirty days of Drabble. Some Sherlolly snippets to enjoy_.

**No. 1 - Chemical Reaction**

**.**

When the chemistry professor walked into the lecture hall, there was a collective stir from every female present except one. Seated in the front row, Molly Hooper had her head down and her nose buried inches from her iPad. She was totally oblivious to what was going on about her until a few minutes later her attention was alerted by a deep voice calling her name. She looked up. The man on the dais was beautiful. There were no other words needed to describe him.

"OH:" she managed to squeak. She opened her mouth again to ask him to repeat the question, but before she could say anything, the professor shook his head.

"No, Miss Hooper, adding oxygen would not be advisable. Unless of course you were planning on making a bomb?" he asked in a sarcastic voice.

Molly turned beet red. "No sir, I- I mean …" she stuttered helplessly.

The professor called another name and received the correct response. Molly sank down in her seat

totally mortified. Her first day at uni and already her chemistry instructor thought she was hopeless. She sat up and straightened her shoulders. She would show him … she looked down at her syllabus. She would show Mr. S. Holmes that she was no dummy. He would not catch her unaware again!

.

A/N for a look at the Chemistry Professor, go to by tumblr at: . /6556e4b33504b3acda0b663f9d749d01/tumblr_n39o04xSkS1swh682o1_


	2. Chapter 2

Thirty days of Sherlock Drabble – 02

.

Lunch

.

Molly sat on the hard seat and slowly chewed another bite of her tuna and cucumber butty from the student cafeteria. Though the sandwich was perfectly healthy, the packaging process by the university food service providers resulted in a rather unappealing mess. Molly didn't mind, she was too absorbed in her notes for chemistry class to be bothered by a little sogginess in her food.

"Look at you. Nose all stuck in a book!" A mocking voice rang out as a group of girls stopped beside her table. Sally Donavan and four others crowded about her and giggled as Molly looked up.

"You know he doesn't know you are alive don't you?" Donavan continued. "If you think all that studying will make him notice you think again."

Molly frowned.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked cautiously.

"Why, your precious Professor Holmes of course." Sally smirked. "We see you trying to get his attention in class with all your questions and note taking. Flashing those big brown eyes of your won't work. It just makes you look like a cow. He won't ever notice you; he doesn't notice anyone like that. The man is a freak." Sally's entourage giggled as if Sally had said something enormously witty.

"I'm not – It's not . . . , I'm just trying to get good marks." Molly stuttered. She did not care for Sally Donavan with her caustic ways and her entourage of toadies. And she did not flash her eyes at the Professor!

As the group moved on, one of the girls 'accidentally' knocked into Molly's shoulder causing tuna and mayonnaise to tumble down the front of Molly's favorite shirt.

"Oops! Sorry about that." The girl snickered and rushed off to join her friends.

Molly looked down at the mess in her lap and sighed as she picked up a paper napkin.

Later, as Molly entered the lecture hall, she was surprised to hear a deep voice address her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Hooper. I see you have been investigating the properties of organic chemistry. You might want to try the chicken salad next time. Its cohesive qualities are much more desirable and less likely to allure stay cats." Professor Holmes stared solemnly at her as Molly turned beet red.

"Oh!, right, I'll do that." She murmured as rushed to her seat in mortification.


	3. Chapter 3

The Library

.

Why was it that all the books on the required reading list seemed to located above her head? Molly stretched and touched the bottom of the shelf where the battered copy of _Chemical Principles, the Quest for Insight _by Peter Atkins lay just out of reach. It might have as well been shelved on the moon as far as Molly was concerned. No amount of jumping was going to retrieve the book. She would have to go in search of one of those rolling step stools. With a small huff, she turned and was shocked when her nose rammed into a very masculine chest.

"Let me get that for you." Professor Holmes' deep voice murmured as he easily pulled the book from the shelf.

"Oh!" Molly squeaked in surprise, he smelled of soap, cigarettes and warm man. Overwhelmed, she reflexively jumped back, colliding into the shelf behind. Overhead, a rather large tomb toppled down, nearly crashing on to the top of Professor Holmes' curly head.

"I'm – I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" a very flustered Molly Hooper stuttered.

"I've been better. Do you always attack people who wish only to help you?" Professor Holmes asked as he stepped back and handed _Chemical Principals_ to her.

"I didn't know you were there. You startled me." Molly tried to explain. She stooped and quickly picked up the book that had nearly decapitated her instructor. It was heavier than she realized and the wretched book slipped from her fingers to the floor once more falling open to a full color illustration.

"Oh my!" Molly stared down at the book in horror. The picture was of a male and female preforming a very complex sexual act.

Professor Holmes squatted beside Molly and glanced from her face to the illustration. He picked up the book and began turning the pages. Every third or fourth page depicted an explicit diagram or photo of a sexual nature.

"Hmm, this looks rather naughty don't you think?" He said as he looked Molly with a smirk on his face.

Molly's face flushed. "I don't think that book is in the right spot." she said.

"No." He agreed. "It at least should be shelved with the Biochemistry books don't you agree?" Professor Holmes continued to casually flip through the pages, pausing every now and then to take a closer look at an illustration.

"Um, thanks for your help. I've got to go. I don't want to be late for my next class." A very embarrassed Molly managed to say in a rather breathless voice. They both stood and Professor Holmes watched as she turned and scurried away as fast as her legs would go.

As he watched her retreating back, he glanced down at the still open book in his hands. He pursed his lips thoughtfully, tucked the book under his arm and headed in the opposite direction.


	4. Chapter 4

Study Time

.

Officially, Molly was supposed to be studying. She sat at the study carrel in the library with her face buried in her Chemistry text. Unfortunately, she had been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes. She tilted her head a little more in order to better hear the whispers of the group at the nearby table where several classmates were enthusiastically comparing notes about a certain Chemistry Professor

"He must be rich, have you seen that Jaguar he was driving last week?" Alice gushed.

"Oh that's not his." Emma replied. "Joni heard him tell Dr. Stamford that his brother loaned it to him while his was being repaired. He normally drives a battered old Honda."

"He can drive my car anytime he likes." Alice said and the group dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Well, if he has rich relatives, maybe he's rich too. He dresses well." Tracy commented as the laughter subsided.

"Nah, I heard that the brother controls the family purse strings and that He and Professor Holmes do not get along well." Emma said.

"I don't see what you all find so attractive about him." A tall willowy blonde named Judy growled. "He's very rude and I think he looks odd with that long face. He reminds me of a horse!

"You're just mad at him for calling you an idiot." Emma smirked. "He doesn't pull any punches if he discovers you haven't done your work."

"I think he is kind of cute." Alice said. "How old do you think he is?"

There was a moment of silence as they thought.

"He looks young, but I'd bet he has to be at least thirty. He is a graduate chemist and a Professor after all." Tracy finally said.

"You'd lose your bet." Alice said smugly" I happen to know that he's only a couple of years older than us. He's some kind of genius and they say he finished his undergraduate work by fifteen."

There were sound of impressed oohs and ahs.

"I bet he wears those dorky glasses to make himself look older." Emma giggled.

Judy snorted. " I still think he looks like a horse with blinders on!"

"Oh you are just being rude." Emma snickered. "The poor man is probably blind as a bat without them."

"That's what contact lens are for. Someone should suggest them to him." Tracy laughed.

"Well, I think they're cute." Alice said loyally.

The topic changed to plans for the weekend and Molly chastised herself for wasting time eavesdropping She had work to do. She didn't have time to waste on speculating on how old her Chemistry Prof was or what kind of vehicle he drove.

Privately, she admitted to herself that she agreed with Alice. The glasses were very sexy.


	5. Chapter 5

No. 5 Nowhere to go

.

Molly didn't go out much at night. Almost all of her time was spent in the library studying, or on the off chance that her dorm mate wasn't entertaining, curled up on her bed with a favorite book. Weekends, she often took the train home to visit her father. She didn't mind not having a social life. She had never been the type of girl who attracted boys and had never felt the need to socialize.

This particular evening she returned from the library to find the pink sock on the doorknob of the room she shared with Ellen. It was the third time this week! Her dorm mate's new boyfriend had all but moved himself in. Molly sighed and retreated down the hallway to the communal living room situated like the hub of a wheel for the four halls of rooms branching out from it. It looked like she would be spending another night on the plastic chairs that the room boasted for seating.

She squirmed a little on the seat, trying to convince herself she wasn't uncomfortable when Judy Dalton and Emma Wallace sauntered into the room.

"Are you stuck out here again?" Emma asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," Molly admitted.

"You need to barge in and tell Ellen's boyfriend to leave. The room is half yours you know. I never see Ellen out here cooling her heels for you," Judy said harshly and Molly almost felt like the girl was condemning her, rather than her amorous dorm mate.

"Well, it's just that I would have to live with Ellen mad at me and you all know what she's like when she's angry. And it's not like I have a boyfriend or anything," Molly mumbled.

"You need to stop being a push over," Emma said. "You need to get out and meet people, get your nose out of those books for a change."

"Emma and I are going up town for some drinks. Why don't you come along? It will be fun!" Judy said.

"I don't know…" Molly began, but was interrupted by an enthusiastic Emma.

"Do come along Molly. It will give us a chance to get to know you better!" Emma pleaded.

Molly thought of the long hours in hard plastic chairs and made up her mind. "Okay, anything is better than sitting around here all night."


	6. Chapter 6

No.06 Pub Crawl

.

At first it was fun. The dim lights and loud music of the pubs surrounding the university gave off a warm inviting atmosphere. Molly insisted on drinking only Coke as she had an early class in the morning. Emma and Judy giggled and called her their "sober companion." It was nice, listening to their happy chatter and joining in the latest gossip. That didn't last long. As the night wore on the bars became increasingly noisier and it was hard for Molly to think, let alone try to carry a conversation. She contented herself with watching Judy and Emma flirt with the other customers. They didn't seem to have any trouble communicating. Molly was a little envious, she wished she could relax and enjoy talking to strangers like her two new friends.

After the fifth pub, Molly realized that they had navigated into a tougher neighborhood. The girls just laughed at her concerns and said that was part of the fun. Molly began to worry. Especially after Judy and Emma attached themselves to two rather rough young men and proceeded to ignore her. Suddenly, she wished she were back sitting on the hard seats in the common room instead of watching two half-drunk acquaintances being pawed by strangers.

"Judy, it's getting late, we really ought to be going back," Molly pleaded when a fist fight started in a corner. Things were getting out of hand and just a little frightening.

Judy stood up with her new found boyfriend wrapped around her shoulders. Emma and her 'date' staggered slightly as they swayed toward the door.

"Look honey, it's been fun," Judy grinned. "Paul and Michael have invited us to a party they know about. Paul says you can come too if you want. He might be able to find somebody for you." Judy made her words sound as if she didn't think Paul would have much luck finding anyone.

Molly stood up. "No, no. It's okay. I'll just go back. My room is probably open for me by now."

Molly watched as the two couples staggered away laughing. Some friends Judy and Emma turned out to be. She should have known better. She looked around and wondered what in the earth she was doing in a dive like this. It was past time to call a cab.


	7. Chapter 7

Thirty Days of Sherlock Drabble – No.7

.

Brawl

.

As Molly worried about what to do next, the chair across the table screeched against the floor and a large body plopped down.

"Hello little darling."

Molly looked up and faced a half drunk lout with a pot belly.

"I see yer friends have gone off and left ya. Never mind, I can entertain ya," he belched and leered at her.

"You have got to be kidding me," Molly mumbled. "Excuse me." She stood up and took a step away only to be restrained as the lout's meaty hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"Aw, don't leave. Sit right here and have a couple of drinks. We can have some fun gettin' to know each other. My name is Jaaack." The man strung out the vowel in his name as if it were important.

"Let go of my arm," Molly said.

The man tightened his grip, leaned in and said in a drink sodden tone, "Now don't go all hissy on me." He tipped backward in his chair and pointed back over his shoulder. "The lads I'm with have a bet goin' on. They say I can't get you to join us for a drink. Be a good sport and come along with me. You won't regret it."

"Thank you, but no. I am leaving," Molly said not unkindly.

"Aw, honey, don't make it hard on yerself," Jack's voice turned surly and his grip tightened. He yanked on her arm causing Molly to stumble sideways. "Now sit down," he demanded.

"I said, Let go of me!" Molly was angry and more than a little frightened. Jack pulled at her arm again. Molly reacted by making a fist with her free hand and punching the drunk in the nose. It was more a combination of surprise and unbalance that worked in her favor. Her opponent fell sideways and crashed into the next table of customers. Jack let go of Molly as he fell, but his momentum caused her to tumble forward and roll under an empty table.

When she got to her feet, she was appalled at the result of her confrontation. The toughs at the table that Jack fell into objected to his presence. Jack's mates flew to his defense. It was like a scene from a silly cartoon bar fight. Legs, arms and furniture were all part of a milling mess. Molly briefly recognized Jack at the bottom of the flailing heap. She stared paralyzed in horror. Someone was going to get hurt and it was her fault!

"I suggest you follow me if you don't wish to spend the night in a drunk-tank," a voice behind her shouted.

Molly turned and stared at the familiar face.

"Professor Holmes!" she shouted back over the noise of the fight, "what are you doing here?"

"No time now. Follow me," he shouted back and lead her to the door and out in the night air. "Hurry," he growled. He pulled her along the street and darted into a dark alleyway as police sirens blared in the night.


End file.

Sherlock, Humor, Romance